Cooking Master Boy Premiere (With Romance Plot)

Today is Tuesday, Takuya is unusually staying at the Nakayama family's main house for lunch.

The mother, Nakayama Miyuki, was busy in the kitchen and was somewhat surprised to see her son still home at this hour.

Why didn't you go to the company today?

"Eri's program premieres today, and she specifically told me I had to watch it," Takuya a smile, casually turning on the restaurant's TV, tuning to TV Tokyo, and then sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat.

Upon hearing this, Nakayama Miyuki's movements became a little lighter. While preparing the ingredients, she peeked out from the open kitchen and looked at the television screen with great interest. It was her future daughter-in-law's first time producing a program, and as her mother-in-law, she had to watch it carefully.

At exactly 12 o'clock, the opening sequence of TV Tokyo's daytime drama ended, and a brand new program began.

After a burst of opening music with a distinctly China flavor, the four powerful characters of "<Cooking Master Boy>" appeared on the screen.

The first episode introduces Huaiyang cuisine, specifically a famous dish served at state banquets called "Steamed Fish with Kirin".

The camera first travels through the misty, rain-drenched gardens of Jiangnan, with antique pavilions and towers, accompanied by melodious traditional Chinese music and a clear, resonant male voice narration, instantly elevating the overall ambiance.

Next, a wise and venerable master chef appeared and began to introduce the origin and essence of the dish in Mandarin with a heavy local accent.

While explaining, the experienced chef skillfully cleaned a fresh sea bass and sliced it into evenly thick fillets.

Slices of Jinhua ham, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms, cut equally thin, are sandwiched between the fish slices and arranged neatly on the plate, resembling the scales of a legendary Kirin. Just looking at them makes one's mouth water.

The production team thoughtfully provided clear Japanese subtitles and invited several comedians and food critics as guests to crack jokes and banter in the studio.

The guests watched intently, exclaiming in amazement.

Wow, these fish slices are thinner than paper!

"Wow! I never knew fish could be prepared like this!"

"Ham from Yancheng? What does it taste like?"

"I guess the key to this dish is the heat; the steaming time can't be a second too long or too short!"

The guests' exaggerated reactions, and even their serious guesses about the cooking details, were always proven wrong by the chef's next move. Coupled with the chef's serious and professional expression, this created a wonderfully endearing contrast, making what could have been a somewhat dry documentary segment incredibly fun.

When the steaming, fragrant Kirin fish with a unicorn shape was served, Nakayama Miyuki unconsciously swallowed hard in the kitchen.

The documentary segment ended, and the scene switched back to a bright, modern Japanese-style studio.

"Next up is the much-anticipated family recreation segment!" the host announced loudly.

The camera immediately focused on the open kitchen in the center of the studio, where the brand logos on the kitchen utensils, condiments, and even the hand towels were clearly visible.

Nakayama Miyuki, with her sharp eyes, muttered, "Strange, why is the label on this brand of soy sauce bottle bigger than ours?"

Takuya explained with a smile, "Mom, those are props specially made by the sponsors, just so that viewers like you can see them clearly."

"So that's how it is. There's business acumen everywhere." Nakayama Miyuki suddenly realized, and then became engrossed in the program content again.

In the program, a well-known home cooking researcher used sea bream, which is readily available in Japan supermarkets, to replace sea bass, and enoki mushrooms to replace bamboo shoots, teaching viewers step by step how to make a "simple steamed Kirin with a similar appearance but different essence" using the simplest method.

When the final step is taken, a spoonful of sizzling hot oil is poured over the fish with a "sizzle," followed by a drizzle of special Japanese soy sauce and a sprinkle of bonito flakes, the aroma seems to waft right through the screen.

After tasting it, the guests in the studio all showed happy expressions.

"While it certainly can't compare to the authentic taste of a master chef's version, making this at home will definitely surprise my husband and kids!"

"Yes, yes, I'll buy a sea bream and try it tomorrow!"

Watching everything on TV, even the culinary expert Nakayama Miyuki couldn't resist the urge to try it herself. She murmured to herself, "It doesn't seem too difficult."

When Takuya saw his mother's reaction, he knew the show was a success.

He was secretly pleased and immediately picked up the restaurant's phone to call Guangzhou.

The phone was answered by Eri's assistant. There was a lot of noise coming from the other end. Several minutes later, Eri was finally called to the phone.

"Takuya?" Her voice carried a hint of barely concealed excitement.

"That's me. I watched the show, it was fantastic."

"Really?" Eri immediately pressed, "What do you think? Will the audience like it?"

"My mom was watching right next to me, and after watching, she kept saying she wanted to try making it herself." Takuya moved the receiver away a little and called out to the kitchen, "Mom, your future daughter-in-law is asking you, 'Is the show good?'"

"Huh?" Eri let out a short exclamation on the other end of the phone, then fell silent. Takuya could even picture her adorable, blushing, flustered appearance.

When Nakayama Miyuki heard her son teasing her, she laughed and walked out of the kitchen, snatching the phone away.

"Eri, it's Aunt Miyuki." Her voice was gentle and kind.

"Hello, Auntie!" Eri's voice was both nervous and shy.

"Don't listen to Takuya's nonsense." Nakayama Miyuki said gently, "But the show is really well done; it makes me want to learn how to do it. When you have time to go back to Tokyo, be sure to come over for dinner. I'll cook some of my signature dishes for you. You're working so hard out there all by yourself; take care of yourself."

"Okay, Auntie! Thank you, Auntie!" Eri blushed and obediently agreed.

When Nakayama Miyuki heard that Eri had agreed, she was overjoyed. She then spent a lot of time fussing over Eri, asking about her well-being and daily life outside. Only when Eri said that she was busy editing videos did she reluctantly let her go to work.

After hanging up the phone, Nakayama Miyuki put the receiver away, turned around, and looked at Takuya with a serious expression.

"Eri such a nice girl, you better treat her well, you hear me?"

"Okay, I understand." Takuya helplessly raised his hands in surrender.

The mother nodded in satisfaction, turned and walked back to the kitchen. While preparing lunch, she began to hum softly Sakamoto Kyu's old song, "Looking Up at the Stars in the Night Sky".

Takuya heard this song, he wore a helpless expression.

He knew that his mother was already eager to prepare a lavish family feast for her future daughter-in-law.